Blog the Change – #StopAnimalTesting

Four times per year bloggers come together to “Be the Change for Animals”. It’s not just for bloggers…everyone is encouraged to read, share, and support causes and people helping animals. Bloggers can write about a cause that is important to them, and readers can share comments and ideas

My very first full blog post was titled “It’d Be Easier to Be an Ostrich”. That was well over a year ago, and a post that I’m sure not many people read, other than my family and friends who were about my only readers back then! My title was referring to being happier keeping my head in the sand, and not knowing that laboratories routinely test cosmetic products on beagles. It was inspired by this, seen on Facebook:

That picture was posted by Beagle Freedom Project. It’s no secret to my regular readers that I am a beagle lover, we have one beagle now, and not too long ago had two. I have been following and supporting the Beagle Freedom Project ever since that post, and you can see this on my car:

Beagles are the most wonderful dogs….loving and affectionate, and great companions. As I looked into this issue further, I found out that this is one of the reasons they are used in labs for testing…..because of their friendly and trusting natures. They are most often obtained directly from breeders who breed just for this purpose; therefore some of these dogs have never felt the grass under their feet. This simply breaks my heart. Is it really necessary to test on beagles (or cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, and mice) for cosmetics, personal care, beauty aids, and cleaning products? No, it’s not; the list of companies that don’t is long and that proves these products can be made without it. Many of these practices are outdated and other countries already have bans on cosmetic testing, including Israel, India, and the 28 states of the European Union. Others such as China and Brazil have changes in the works.

Beagle Freedom Project has rescued over 200 animals from laboratories since their inception in December 2010. They have re-homed around 150 beagles, as well as cats, rabbits, a pig, a pony, and even some fish! Their work begins with reaching out to laboratories asking for the release of their animals that would otherwise be euthanized when they are no longer needed. It is all done legally with the cooperation of the labs. That is only the beginning: their ultimate goal of course is to end all animal testing. It has to begin somewhere, and they are carefully choosing each step.

BFP is currently working on legislation in two states: Minnesota and California. The Beagle Freedom Billwould ensure that taxpayer funded laboratories would be required to offer up their animals that are no longer needed to rescue groups for adoption. It would all happen at no cost to the laboratories. It seems foolish that they can’t all do that anyway, but some have been resistant.

There is also some hopeful news on the federal level. There is currently legislation In Congress known as the Humane Cosmetics Act. This bill would prohibit animal testing for cosmetics manufactured or sold in the United States. This bill is endorsed by the Humane Society of the United States as well as other groups. It was introduced by Congressman James Morin D -VA, and has obtained a lead Republican sponsor in Michael Grimm R-NY. It is long overdue and needs to be passed.

It is time for an end to cruel and unnecessary tests on beagles and other animals! What can you do to help?

If you live in Minnesota or California, you can go to BFP’s page and sign petitions letting your legislators know that you are in favor of this. You can also sign their letter which has been sent to every laboratory in the country asking that they release their animals to BFP’s retirement, rehabilitation, and re-homing campaign.

Donate, or consider fostering or adopting a lab beagle or other animals, knowing that these animals will have many special needs in order to adapt to life in a home. They can become loving pets and you can visit BFP’s Facebook page, as well as their website, to see many of their success stories.

Photo courtesy of Beagle Freedom Project.

#ShopCrueltyFree The best thing I could find to do to help was to stop buying products that are tested on animals. Over the last year or more I have switched my household over to cruelty-free products wherever I could. There are lists to be found in many places of companies that do and don’t test on animals, there are even phone apps, or you can just read it on the label itself. Those companies that don’t test on animals are proud of their values and it will say on their packaging “not tested on animals”, or they display the Leaping Bunny symbol. I’m not going to tell you that it’s been easy or always cheap to make the switch, but for me it is worth it. In many cases, I have found better products that I have come to love.

Urge your representative to support the Humane Cosmetics Act. Click here for help in doing so. I have read on the govtrack.us website, a website for tracking the activities of Congress and legislation, that this bill has a very slim chance of passing, or even making it out of committee. This is disheartening to say the least, but it highlights the reason BFP’s grass root efforts are so important. Every small thing that is done leads to bigger things, and hopefully to the one thing many of us are hoping for #StopAnimalTesting.

Every beagle and animal deserves to have a life like this, no matter how it started out:

Comments

Fantastic post. The Beagle Freedom Project does amazing work. I also think that voting with our dollars to support business that line up with our beliefs is so essential – I love that you highlighted that here as well.

(And I agree… it was much easier to be an ostrich. However, I’m glad we’re all digging out of the sand together.)

Thank you! Sometimes voting with our pocketbooks is the easiest available tool to help. We might wonder if it really does help sometimes….but hopefully like everything else, every little bit does.
It does make it easier to get our heads out of the sand when others are doing the same!

It’s so hard to imagine a society that would knowingly subject innocent creatures to pain and injury, especially for some of the vain products that are tested on them. Really makes one sad. We must do all we can reject this testing, and you’ve offered some valuable and doable ways for each of us. Looking forward to the day when we no longer consider such barbaric practices “necessary”!

You are so right, it is so sad, and frankly, I can’t understand it at all. Who could do that for a job….how do they justify it to themselves?
I hope it all comes to an end very soon, but in the meantime that everyone does what they can to fight it.
Thank you for holding this wonderful hop!

I hate that we test on animals. I try to buy cruelty free whenever I can and I love the Beagle Freedom project!! I also love Beagles. When it’s time for me to foster/adopt another dog I will be open to any and all. It may not just be a lab, in fact it might be a Beagle.

BTW, I’m so made, I forgot BTC. So glad you remembered and I love your topic!

Thanks, Jodi, I’m so glad that you loved my topic. I think that would be so awesome if you were to help one of their beagles some day. For me, they are just the best dogs, and I can see us always having a beagle or beagle mix.

With everything you’ve had going on, it is perfectly understandable that you forgot BTC. You’ll get it next time I’m sure!

I have heard of that organization before… I saw a video of them taking some dogs to the park, immediately after picking them up from a lab that was releasing them. The dogs got to touch grass for the first time! It is so sad that animals are still used in this way. Breaks my heart.

What an awesome organization. It’s a shame that it is even necessary. I simply don’t understand how in 2014 companies are still torturing animals. Chimp Haven is close to us and they house chimps that were test subjects. Thanks for pulling our heads out of the sand. : )

You are right, it is a shame that it’s even necessary. There’s so much that we don’t know, so many bad things that go on, and really, there are days that I wish I didn’t know. But ignoring it won’t make it go away, right? We just have to do what we can to help.

I thought most cosmetic companies stopped testing on animals years ago. Or maybe it is just the cosmetics that I buy. I would be all for no testing and little regulation, but the bureaucrats would never allow that so they need a new law for a law they already passed. Truly makes no sense to me.

I think some companies did stop a long time ago. If you use higher end cosmetics I don’t think it’s such an issue. It’s the things that you can buy at WalMart, drug stores and discount stores cheaply that are the worst.
Things should just be simple…companies should be able to be trusted to do the right thing, but they don’t.

Oh my gosh!!! How horrible! All animal testing should be put to an end!!!
I wish I knew about this hop yesterday! I would have posted as well.
Great post, very informative and I thank you for sharing. I wonder if I cans till sign their petition if I do not live in those places? I will give it a try. And I am sharing your post as well!
ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!

Thank you for sharing, Jenna. I did sign those petitions but I wasn’t really sure if I was supposed to or not, and I think the signatures probably just hold more weight if they are from constituents of that state. But, still, it couldn’t hurt to try, right?
Thank you for being on board and caring!

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